Superman, Deadpool, R.I.P.D.: Apr 11th Comic Reel

As Spinoff Online reported yesterday, Michael Shannon has been cast as General Zod in the "Superman" reboot. "Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role," said director Zack Snyder in a press release. I still wish Micheal Sheen from "The Queen" and "Tron Legacy" would be cast as Brainiac. That would be an incredible pairing of actor and character. Also, with this post, I retire another "Begins" tag as the film will now be called "Man of Steel."

Release date: 2012?

DEADPOOL

Deadline reports that Visual Effects veteran Tim Miller will make the jump to feature director with "Deadpool," the long mooted solo flick for the merc with a mouth. The new director has an "X-Men" connection as he did FX work on the first two films. Director Robert Rodriguez courted the project for a time. I wonder if they'll revive the "X-Men Origins" branding so the title character can make fun of it.

Release date: TBA

R.I.P.D.

Deadline also reports that actor/comedian Zach Galifianakis has dropped out of the film. "Galifianakis hoped to fit the film in before or after he stars with Will Ferrell in the Jay Roach-directed 'Southern Rivals' for Warner Bros," writes Deadline's Mike Fleming. "But there was no certainty whether those plans would fit in because Warner Bros has an option on Reynolds, who might be obliged to do a sequel to 'Green Lantern' quickly. Galifianakis also had the complexity of his own obligation to the HBO series 'Bored to Death.' So his participation in the undead project is dead." This is a great example of the complexities of filmmaking, provided it's not just a convenient excuse.

Release date: TBA

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Actor Josh Pence has joined the film as "Young Ra's Al Ghul," according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Sources say Pence will appear in scenes that take place 30 years prior to the present story," they write. The actor has the unusual honor of appearing in "The Social Network" without his own face. He played Tyler Winklevoss, but actor Armie Hammer's visage was superimposed onto him. Hopefully they won't try to stick a creepy de-aged Liam Neeson face onto him this time around.

Release date: July 20th, 2012

THOR

With less than a month to go before release, we have have plenty "Thor" related material. First, here's another clip from the film (courtesy of Yahoo! Movies):

Next up, Josh Wilding at Comic Book Movie has a description of the footage that screened at KAPOW! Con over the weekend. I'll keep it spoiler free except for the following snippet "The longest at roughly twenty minutes, started off with the scene where Odin banishes Thor to Earth. While we've already seen snippets of this in the first trailer, the entire scene is far more powerful and the exchange between the two sent shivers down my spine. Seeing Odin's clearly hurt reaction to being called an, 'Old man and a fool' by Thor and his subsequent rage as he strips him of his powers showed just how 100% perfect a casting choice Anthony Hopkins was for this role," writes Wilding. "Chris Hemsworth also nails the Asgardian (well, English) accent perfectly. I know there has been some doubt about this, but there is really nothing to worry about."

Dave Gibbons gave his support to the film at Kapow! Con, according to IGN. "I've read the screenplay and it's fantastic," he said. "It's so Dredd, and it seems to me everyone involved with it is so enthusiastic and has this desire to do it right."

Release date: TBA

GREEN LANTERN

Blake Lively talks the Star Sapphire costume (should her character ever need one in a subsequent film) with MTV News:

Comicus.it has an interview with star James McAvoy. "You have to stop yourself doing your Patrick Stewart impression!," the actor joked when asked about taking over the Xavier role from the "Star Trek" veteran. "I managed to get the line, 'on my mark,' into the film, which I'm quite impressed with. I couldn't get, 'engage,' or 'make it so,' or 'tea, Earl Grey, hot' in there. I've really stopped myself. But I did get 'on my mark,' which isn't necessarily a Jean-Luc Picardism, but he does say it a lot in 'The Next Generation.'" Who would've guessed McAvoy was such a "Star Trek" fan. He also discusses the continuity blips between the films, how "First Class" fits into the crowded summer market, and the plot. Meanwhile, Superhero Hype has another international trailer for the film:

Release date: June 3rd, 2011

WOLVERINE 2

A reader tells Ain't It Cool News that director Duncan Jones is taking a meeting with Fox in regard to the film. "He stated that he has a meeting with Fox coming up regarding the possibility of him taking over 'Wolverine' in lieu of Aronofsky's departure," writes AICN's Harry Knowles, relaying a message he received over Twitter. "That said, apparently the 'Moon' & 'Source Code 'director feels like he would rather do his own original sci fi script next, but is taking the meeting more or less to explore options and be polite." I hope something comes of this and the film gets made.

Thanks to everyone who sent emails and Twitter posts wishing me a happy birthday, they were quite welcome. Sadly, my weekend had a little grey cloud in the shape of a 2.5' hard drive hanging over it. I wouldn't feel so bad about it if I hadn't lost an article and three chapters of my novel in the great crash of aught eleven. Always back-up. Meanwhile, if any of you in the great, wide Internet discover something awesome, disheartening, or just plain weird, let us know! Take credit, come up with a clever nickname, or go anonymous. The choice is yours. Fresh rumors and movie news every weekday morning. I am Erik Amaya, bracing for the future threat of a replacement laptop.